South Africa's first gay rugby team is planning a tour into the sport's traditional heartlands to tackle discrimination head-on.
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As chairperson of Johannesburg-based Jozi Cats, as well as one of the players, Teveshan Kuni has come up with the plan as he bids to eventually enter the team into a local league.

Kuni has planned a December tour of the Free State and possibly Western Cape to get the Cats playing their first matches, as well as holding coaching clinics in under-privileged areas.

Kuni was recently in Berlin to take part in a tournament – ‘The Bash About’ - for 125 mostly gay players, with 30 nationalities represented, from some of the 70 gay rugby clubs around the world.

The Cats are affiliated to the Wanderers Rugby Club in Johannesburg's affluent district Sandton. In addition, the Cats have played four seasons in Johannesburg's touch rugby (non-contact).

To recruit players, the Cats launched an advertising campaign earlier this year using homophobic insults to challenge prejudices of what a gay rugby player looks like. A result of the advertising campaign was a visit of ex-South African international prop Lawrence Sephaka, who won 24 caps for the Springboks.

Teveshan Kuni said: "We've come up with a plan to tackle this head on. We're going to put on a tour bus, drive to the heart of South African rugby and see if we can get some friendly games going.

"There is some anxiety, but if you know your team-mates have your back, it's a very different situation. The Cats have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from South Africa's rugby community, but social media has shown an uglier side.

"The keyboard warriors are the worst. Russia Today and This is Africa posted articles about us on their Facebook site. I was scrolling through the comments, but had to walk away a few times, because they were horrendous. You can't have a 32-year-old with a desk job, who is just getting into rugby, up against a 19-year-old, who spends all his time in the gym and has played representative rugby.
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"With this said, the feedback from the ad campaign has been amazing. The ads went viral and we have been seen in 140 countries by around 350 million people. For the team, it's been phenomenal. We have attracted 60 new members, probably had another 40 come and go."
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